Colleqe 

JT 
Aqricuftuie 

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* 


University  of  Illinois 

Library  at 

Urbana-Champaign 
ACES 


y 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


BULLETIN  No.  126 


DISTANCE  BETWEEN  HILLS  EOR  CORN  IN 
THE  ILLINOIS  CORN  BELT 


BY  ALBERT  N.  HUME,  O.  D.  CENTER 
AND  LEONARD  HEGNAUER 


URBANA,  ILLINOIS,  JULY,  1908 


SUMMARY  OF  BULLETIN  No.  126 

1.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  corn  belt  of  Illinois,  the  largest 
yields  have  been  secured  from  ordinary  land  by  planting"  corn  in 
hills  36  inches  apart  both  ways  with  three  kernels  per  hill.   Page  366 

2.  In  central  Illinois,  on  ordinary  brown  silt  loam  prairie  land 
that  ordinarily  produces  more  than  fifty  bushels  of  corn  per  acre, 
corn  planted  in  hills  39.6  inches  each  way  with  three  kernels  per  hill 
has  produced  the  largest  yields.  Page  367 

3.  In  the  same  part  of  the  corn  belt  on  land  that  ordinarily 
produces  less  than  fifty  bushels  of  corn  per  acre,  corn  planted  in  hills 
36  inches  each  way  with  two  kernels  per  hill  has  produced  the  larg- 
est yields.  Page  367 


DISTANCE  BETWEEN  HILLS  FOR  CORN  IN 
THE  ILLINOIS  CORN  BELT 

BY  ALBERT  N.  HUME,  ASSOCIATE  IN  CROP  PRODUCTION, 

O.  D.  CENTER,  FIRST  ASSISTANT  IN  CROP  PRODUCTION, 

AND  LEONARD  HEGNAUER,  ASSISTANT  IN  CROPS 

By  far  the  greater  part  of  the  corn  area  of  Illinois  is  annually 
planted  in  check  rows.  It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  present  bulle- 
tin to  prove  the  advantage  of  this  method  of  planting  corn,  since  it 
is  assumed  that  it  is  the  method  that  will  remain  in  vogue  on  account 
of  the  comparative  ease  with  which  corn  in  check  rows  can  be  culti- 
vated and  kept  clear  of  weeds.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this  bulletin  to 
report  the  progress  of  an  investigation  to  determine  the  distance 
apart  at  which  hills  of  corn  must  be  checked  to  return  the  highest 
and  most  profitable  yields  and  as  a  corollary  to  this  to  determine 
whether  the  planting  of  two  kernels  per  hill  at  closer  distances  may 
give  any  better  distribution  of  stalks  than  the  planting  of  three  ker- 
nels per  hill  at  greater  distances. 

PLAN  OF  EXPERIMENT 

A  good  many  experiments  have  been  conducted  at  the  several 
experiment  stations  in  the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  deter- 
mining the  proper  thickness  for  planting  corn.  Obviously  this  prob- 
lem is  one  of  importance  throughout  the  entire  corn  belt,  but  its 
solution  is  to  a  great  extent  a  local  problem  and  results  from  one 
locality  might  not  be  directly  applicable  to  another  with  a  different 
soil  or  climate.  Moreover  it  is  found  by  inspecting  reports  from 
the  several  experiment  stations,  including  the  Ontario  Experiment 
Station  at  Guelph,  Canada,  that  much  of  the  experimental  work 
done  in  this  connection  has  taken  into  account  differences  in  the 
number  of  stalks  in  each  hill  or  row  rather  than  varying  the  distance 
apart  of  the  hills  or  rows. 

Some  such  experiments  were  carried  out  by  the  Illinois  Experi- 
ment Station  and  are  summarized  in  Bulletin  31.  This  pre- 
vious work  which  contributes  indirectly  to  the  present  study  will 
be  referred  to  later.  The  present  experiments  are  arranged  in  a 
way  to  vary  the  thickness  of  planting  corn  by  increasing  or  decreas- 
ing the  distances  between  rows,  in  both  directions.  This  accords  with 
the  theory  that  in  order  to  make  the  most  perfect  growth  each  corn 
plant  should  have  its  allotted  amount  of  soil  space  with  as  little  in- 

357 


358 


BULLETIN  No.  126. 


[July, 


terference  from  neighboring  corn  plants  as  possible.  Accordingly 
the  experiments  were  arranged  so  that  hills  of  corn  could  be  checked 
on  different  plots  at  distances  ranging  from  33  inches  to  44  inches 
between  the  hills.  In  addition  to  the  plots  that  were  in  exact  accord 
with  these  measurements  there  were  intermediate  ones  that  fur- 
nished substantial  duplicates.  In  order  that  the  plan  may  be  more 
clear  the  following  diagram  is  given. 

This  in  reality  shows  the  outline  of  the  distance  experiment  field 
at  Sibley,  Illinois,  in  1904,  but  it  illustrates  the  general  plan  of  the 
distance  experiments  on  all  the  fields  in  all  years. 

PLAN  OF  DISTANCE  BETWEEN  HILLS  EXPERIMENT,  SIBLEY  FIELD,  1904 
(Figures  in  small  squares  indicate  distance  of  hills  apart  in  inches) 


3  Kernels  per  hill. 

2  Kernels  per  hill. 

3  Kernels  per  hill. 

44 

X 

44 

44 

X 

39.6 

44 

X 

36 

44 

X 

33 

DIVISION  B. 

DIVISION  C. 

44 

X 

39.6 

39.6 

X 

39.6 

39.6 

X 

36 

39.6 

X 

33 

44 

X 

36 

39.6 

X 

36 

36 

X 

36 

36 

X 

33 

44 

X 

33 

39.6 

X 

33 

36 

X 

33 

33 

X 

33 

DIVISION  D. 

DIVISION  E. 

DIVISION  F. 

DIVISION  G. 

DIVISION  H. 

DIVISION  I. 

In  the  diagram  above,  each  large  division  contains  64  square  rods  and  each 
small  one  4  square  rods. 


zpo<?.]  DISTANCE  BETWEEN  HILLS  FOR  CORN.  359 

The  field  experiments  upon  which  this  bulletin  is  based  have 
been  in  progress  since  1903,  and  have  been  carried  out  on  seven 
different  fields.  The  land  in  each  of  these  fields  is  representative 
of  the  largest  areas  of  the  section  of  the  state  in  which  it  is 
situated.  In  northern  Illinois  in  1903  the  experiment  was  con- 
ducted on  a  field  located  northeast  of  Myrtle,  in  Ogle  county.  This 
same  field  was  used  in  1904.  In  1905,  the  field,  which  was  used  for 
this  and  similar  experiments,  was  located  near  Sycamore,  DeKalb 
county.  For  the  work  of  1906,  and  subsequently,  a  more  perma- 
nent field  was  secured,  which  is  located  about  one  mile  south  of 
DeKalb,  DeKalb  county. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  corn  belt  of  Illinois  this  experiment 
has  been  continued  every  year  since  1903  on  fields  at  Sibley,  in 
Ford  county,  and  at  XJrbana,  in  Champaign  county.  During  two 
of  the  years,  1904  and  1905,  experiments  were  also  made  on  two 
different  fields  located  near  Mattoon,  in  Coles  county. 

Obviously,  results  obtained  from  the  northern  part  of  a  large 
state  like  Illinois  will  not  necessarily  apply  to  another  section  of 
the  state.  It  is  assumed,  however,  that  results  from  fields  at  Myrtle, 
Sycamore,  and  DeKalb  may  be  averaged,  all  being  representative  of 
the  northern  section  of  Illinois,  and  results  from  fields  at  Sibley, 
Urbana,  and  Mattoon,  in  the  southern  section  may  be  averaged  in 
like  manner,  as  applying  to  that  part  of  the  Illinois  corn  belt. 

Practically  all  the  fields  away  from  Urbana  from  which  these 
results  were  taken  have  been  planted  with  machinery.  Planting  at 
Urbana  has  always  been  done  by  hand,  in  the  thought  that  a  little 
more  accurate  planting  may  be  done  by  that  means.  The  check 
wires  used  at  outside  fields  were  so  made  that  the  first  nine  hills 
were  checked  44  inches  apart,  the  next  ten  hills  39.6  inches  apart, 
the  next  eleven  hills  36  inches  apart,  and  the  next  twelve  hills  33 
inches  apart,  each  of  these  series  being  two  rods  long.  The  series 
were  repeated  as  many  times  as  practicable  according  to  the  size 
of  the  field.  Also  where  the  planters  were  used  the  distance  be- 
tween the  planter  shoes  was  changed  so  that  it  would  correspond  to 
the  lengths  of  links  of  the  check  wire. 

From  the  above  plan  it  can  be  seen  that  the  distance  experiment 
on  the  Sibley  field  was  repeated  six  times  in  1904  for  the  three-ker- 
nel plots  and  three  times  for  the  two-kernel  plots.  It  must  be  evi- 
dent that  with  work  of  this  kind  many  duplicate  plots  are  necessary 
in  order  that  averages  may  be  true.  Differences  of  soil  and  season 
cannot  be  equalized  without  the  use  of  many  plots  during  several 
seasons. 


360  BULLETIN  No.  126.  [July, 

Corn  checked  in  hills  44  inches  apart  each  way  with  two  kernels 
per  hill  should  grow  theoretically  6480  stalks  per  acre;  39.6  inches 
apart,  8000  stalks  per  acre ;  36  inches  apart,  9680  stalks  per  acre ; 
and  33  inches  apart,  11,520  stalks  per  acre.  Corn  checked  in  rec- 
tangles at  distances  intermediate  between  these  given  will  grow  in- 
termediate numbers  of  stalks  per  acre.  Supposing  that  hills  be 
checked  with  three  kernels  instead  of  two,  the  44-inch  rows  should 
have  theoretically  9720  stalks  per  acre;  the  39.6-inch  rows,  12,000 
stalks  per  acre;  the  36-inch  rows,  14,520  stalks  per  acre;  and  the 
33-inch  rows,  17,280  stalks  per  acre.  In  like  manner,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  2-kernel  plots,  the  corn  checked  in  rectangles  at  intermediate 
distances  will  have  intermediate  numbers  of  stalks  per  acre. 

It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  even  under  the  most  ideal 
field  conditions  for  experimental  work  some  stalks  of  corn  are 
likely  to  be  missing  and  an  imperfect  stand  result.  The  stands  of 
corn  on  plots  reported  in  this  bulletin  were  in  some  instances  much 
better  than  others,  but  stands  on  all  plots  reported  in  the  same  series 
were  comparable  with  each  other.  If  the  stand  was  very  defective 
or  if  for  any  other  reason  the  yield  of  any  plot  was  known  to  be  ab- 
normal, the  yield  of  the  plot  was  not  considered  in  making  up  aver- 
ages. The  averages  are  made  up  of  the  actual  yields,  harvested 
from  the  plots,  and  may  therefore  be  taken  as  representative  of  field 
conditions  in  the  part  of  the  corn  belt  they  represent. 

For  the  purpose  of  this  bulletin  all  plots  were  put  into  fourteen 
groups.  The  kinds  of  plots  in  the  several  groups  are  explained  in 
the  following  table : 

The  numbers  in  the  first  column  refer  simply  to  the  14  kinds  of 
plots,  each  succeeding  one  allowing  for  an  increased  number  of 
stalks  per  acre  over  that  of  the  preceding.  Column  2  refers  to  the 
distance  of  the  hills  apart  in  the  various  groups  of  plots.  It  will  be 
noted  that  in  each  of  the  groups  3,  4,  and  5,  there  is  a  slight  varia- 
tion in  distance  apart  of  hills  among  the  plots  considered  in  making 
up  the  average,  but  this  variation  is  so  slight  that  the  plots  are 
practical  duplicates.  Column  3  gives  the  number  of  stalks  per 
acre  that  would  theoretically  result  from  planting  at  the  several 
distances.  Column  4  refers  to  the  number  of  plots, in  each  division 
which  necessarily  fall  into  the  several  groups.  In  case  there  is 
only  one  plot  in  a  division  of  a  given  distance  its  yield  per  acre  is 
the  one  put  down  for  such  plots  in  the  tables.  In  other  cases  where 
there  are  two  plots  in  one  group,  the  average  yield  of  these  plots 
is  the  one  put  down  in  Tables  6,  7,  8,  and  9.  The  yields  of  corn 
for  1904  reported  in  this  bulletin  are  in  terms  of  air-dry  shelled 


1908.} 


DISTANCE  BETWEEN  HILLS  FOR  CORN. 


361 


TABLE  i. — DISTANCE  BETWEEN  HILLS  IN  THE  SEVERAL  PLOTS,  NUMBER  OF  STALKS 
PER  ACRE  AND  NUMBER  OF  PLOTS  USED  IN  MAKING  AVERAGES 

Two  kernels  per  hill. 


Number 
of 
group. 

Distance 
between  hills 
(inches). 

Number 
of  stalks 
per  acre. 

Number  of  plots 
used  in  making- 
each  average. 

1 

44  x44 

6480 

1 

2 

44x39.6 

7200 

2 

3 

39.6  x  39.6 
36  x  44 

8000 
7920 

1 

2 

4 

33x44 
36x39.6 

8640 
8800 

2 

2 

5 

36x36 
33  x39.6 

9680 
9600 

1 

2 

6 

33x36 

10560 

2 

7 

33  x33 

11520 

1 

Three  kernels  per  hill. 


8 

44  x  44 

9720 

1 

9 

44  x39.6 

10800 

2 

10 

39.6x39.6 
36x44 

12000 
11880 

1 

2 

11 

33x44 
36  x  39.6 

12960 
13200 

2 
2 

12 

36x36 
33  x  39.6 

14520 
14400 

1 
2 

13 

33  x36 

15840 

2 

14 

33x33 

17280 

1 

corn  per  acre;  for  1905,  all  of  the  yields  of  fields  away  from  Ur- 
bana  are  given  in  terms  of  air-dry  ear  corn  per  acre,  the  field 
weights  only  being  used  at  Urbana  that  year;  in.  1906,  field  weights 
alone  were  used  on  all  fields;  all  yields  of  1907  are  given  in  bush- 
els of  ear  corn  per  acre,  the  basis  for  calculation  being  75  pounds 
per  bushel. 

RESULTS  FROM  NORTHERN  ILLINOIS 

Table  2,  below,  summarizes  all  yields  from  distance  experiments 
secured  from  fields  located  in  northern  Illinois  in  Ogle'  and  DeKalb 
counties. 

By  consulting  the  headings  of  the  separate  divisions  of  Table 
2,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  plots  were  situated  at  different  places, 
three  separate  years.  In  the  columns  headed  "Av.,"  will  appear  to 
some  extent  the  degree  of  regularity  with  which  the  average  yields 
increase  or  decrease  according  to  thickness  of  planting.  Generally, 
both  in  the  case  of  the  two-kernel  plots  and  also  the  three-kernel 
plots,  these  average  yields  increase  toward  the  thicker  plantings. 


362 


BULLETIN  No.  126. 


[July, 


They  do  so  with  enough  consistency  so  that  yields  from  all  plots 
of  the  three  fields  may  fairly  be  averaged  to  get  a  general  average 
representing  the  three  fields  and  the  three  seasons.  The  general 
averages  are  given  in  the  last  column  of  Table  2.  In  this  column 
the  average  yields  of  all  two-kernel  plots  are  seen  to  increase  from 
the  thinnest  planting  up  to  the  second  thickest.  In  similar  manner 
the  average  yields  of  all  three-kernel  plots  increase  regularly.  The 
highest  average  yield  of  all  is  from  the  plantings  33  inches  by  33 
inches,  with  three  kernels  planted  per  hill. 

Obviously,  this  distance  of  planting  which  gave  the  highest 
average  yield  in  northern  Illinois  is  closer  than  will  be  considered 
practical  for  general  farming,  at  least  with  the  size  of  horses  and 
implements  at  present  in  general  use.  With  this  practical  considera- 
tion in  mind,  the  following  statement  is  warranted. 

TABLE  2. — SUMMARY  OF  AVERAGE  YIELDS  FROM  ALL  FIELDS  IN  NORTHERN   ILLI- 
NOIS ;    MYRTLE,  SYCAMORE  AND  DEKALB 

Figures  indicate  actual  yields,  bushels  per  acre. 
Two  kernels  per  hill. 


Distancebe- 
tween  hills 
(inches). 

Number 
of  stalks 
per  acre. 

Myrtle 
1904 
Av. 

Sycamore 
1905 
Av. 

DeKalb 
1906 
Av. 

DeKalb 
1907 
Av. 

Gen.  Av. 

1904,1905, 
1906,1907. 

44x44 

6480 

38.5 

37.1 

51.6 

49.0 

44.1 

44x39.6 

7200 

43.6 

42.3 

52.6 

49.8 

471 

39.6x39.6 
36x44 

8000 

44.4 

44.1 

55.1 

51.1 

48.7 

33x44 
36x39.6 

8800 

47.3 

43.2 

60.9 

52.1 

50.9 

36x36 
33x39.6 

9680 

45.8 

47.1 

71.6 

52.1 

54.2 

33x36 

10560 

463 

45.8 

67.4 

57.5 

54.3 

33x33 

11520 

48.1 

37.2 

67.0 

55.8 

520 

Three  kernels  per  hill. 


44x44 

9720 

41.4 

43.0 

64.5 

67.3 

54  1 

44x39.6 

10800 

43.3 

41.3 

70.3 

67.8 

55.7 

39.6x39.6 
36x44 

12000 

45.2 

42.1 

66.8 

72.5 

56.7 

33x44 
36x39.6 

13200 

45.0 

44.7 

70.0 

71.1 

57.7 

36x36 
33x39.6 

14520 

43.7 

46.1 

75.0 

708 

58.9 

33x36 

15840 

45.2 

44.3 

79.2 

71.0 

59.9 

33x33 

17280 

43.3 

49.5 

73  6 

77.6 

61.0 

1908.]  DISTANCE  BETWEEN  HILLS  FOR  CORN.  363 

The  data  of  Table  2  indicate  that  for  good  corn  land  in  north- 
ern Illinois  hills  of  corn  should  not  be  checked  farther  apart  than 
36  inches  each  way,  which  is  probably  the  closest  distance  practi- 
cable for  cultivation,  and  the  planter  should  be  set  to  drop  three 
kernels  per  hill.  It  is  reasonable  to  assume  that  higher  yields  may 
be  made  by  closer  planting  of  corn  in  northern  Illinois  than  is  now 
commonly  in  vogue.  Plots  with  hills  essentially  36  inches  apart 
each  way  averaged  2.2  bushels  per  acre  more  than  plots  planted  39.6 
inches  each  way  where  the  planter  was  set  for  dropping  three  ker- 
nels per  hill;  and  5.5  bushels  per  acre  more  where  two  kernels  per 
hill  were  planted. 


364 


BULLETIN  No.  126. 


[July, 


SUMMARY  OF  RESULTS  FROM  THE  SOUTHERN  PART 
OF  THE  CORN  BELT. 

For  the  purpose  of  getting  a  general  average  of  the  results  se- 
cured from  the  three  fields  at  Urbana,  Sibley,  and  Mattoon,  the 
yields  in  bushels  per  acre  from  all  of  the  plots  of  each  field  for  each 
of  the  several  distances  of  planting  are  averaged.  These  averages 
are  then  compiled  to  make  Table  3.  Tables  containing  the  yields 
of  separate  plots  for  the  several  years  may  be  consulted  by  refer- 
ring to  the  Appendix. 

TABLE  3. — SUMMARY  OF  AVERAGE  YIELDS  FROM  ALL  FIELDS  IN  CENTRAL  ILLINOIS; 
URBANA,  SIBLEY  AND  MATTOON 

Fig-ures  indicate  actual  yields,  bushels  per  acre. 
Two  kernels  per  hill. 


Distance 
between  hills, 
(inches)  . 

Number 
of  stalks 
per  acre 

Urbana 
Av.  of 
4  years. 

Sibley 
Av.  of 
4  years. 

Mattoon 
1904, 
1905. 

Gen.  Av. 
for  three 
fields. 

44x44 

6480 

502 

45.5 

46.9 

47.7 

44x39.6 

7200 

51.7 

47.9 

51.0 

50.0 

39.6x39.6 
36x44 

8000 

53.8 

48.9 

54.3 

51.9 

33x44 
36x39.6 

8800 

54.8 

49.7 

55.0 

52.8 

36x36 
33x39.6 

9680 

58.5 

49.6 

56.4 

54.5 

33x36 

10560 

59.6 

48.9 

57.8 

55.0 

33x33 

11520 

54.9 

49.9 

604 

54.0 

Three  kernels  per  hill. 


44x44 

9720 

54.1 

47.9 

53.9 

51  6 

44x39  6 

10800 

54.1 

•47.7 

55.7 

51.9 

39.6x39  6 
36x44 

12000 

53.8 

49.0 

56.0 

52.3 

33x44 
36x39.6 

13200 

51.8 

48.5 

56.6 

51.4 

36x36 
33x39.6 

14520 

48.6 

46.7 

54.8 

49.1 

33x36 

15840 

49.8 

455 

55.1 

49  1 

33x33 

17280 

47.0 

42.6 

55.0 

46.8 

DISTANCE  BETWEEN  HILLS  FOR  CORN.  365 

If  the  results  given  in  Table  3  are  trustworthy,  as  they  ap- 
parently are,  the  highest  yields  of  corn  may  be  secured  from  aver- 
age land  in  central  Illinois  by  checking  corn  in  hills  substantially  36 
inches  by  36  inches  apart  and  planting  two  kernels  per  hill.  In  the 
last  column  of  Table  3,  headed  "Gen.  Av.,"  the  yield  given  for 
such  plots  is  54.5  bushels  per  acre.  Plots  planted  appreciably  thicker 
or  thinner  show  a  decreased  yield  with  relation  to  the  thickness  of 
planting.  It  is  noticeable  moreover  that  in  these  average  yields 
those  from  plots  planted  with  two  kernels  per  hill  are  generally 
higher  than  those  from  plots  where  three  kernels  per  hill  were 
planted.  It  is  interesting  to  make  a  comparison  between  yields  har- 
vested from  plots  planted  by  ordinary  methods  and  those  planted 
36  inches  by  36  inches  with  two  kernels  per  hill.  In  the  lower  part 
of  Table  3  in  the  general  average  column  it  may  be  seen  that  plots 
planted  39.6  inches  by  39.6  inches  with  three  kernels  per  hill  yielded 
52.3  bushels  per  acre,  which  is  2.2  bushels  less  than  by  the  former 
distribution.  It  is  important  to  reflect  that  a  change  in  distribution 
of  hills  of  com  over  the  entire  area  of  average  land  in  the  corn 
belt  could  easily  mean  an  increase  of  2  or  3  bushels  per  acre. 

RELATION  OF  SOIL  FERTILITY  TO  THE  MOST 
DESIRABLE  THICKNESS  OF  PLANTING 

There  is  a  decided  opinion  in  the  minds  of  practical  corn  grow- 
ers that  finds  expression  in  the  statement  "Plant  corn  thicker  if  the 
land  is  rich  and  thinner  if  the  land  is  old  and  thin."  This  considera- 
tion has  led  the  writers  to  re-group  the  yields  from  plots  in  these 
distance  experiments.  In  one  group  have  been  placed  yields  of  over 
50  bushels  per  acre  and  in  the  other  yields  less  than  50  bushels  per 
acre.  Fifty  bushels  it  has  been  assumed  somewhat  arbitrarily  might 
mark  a  dividing  line  between  the  capacity  of  "rich"  land  and  "thin" 
land.  The  question  for  settlement  then  is,  will  the  distance  of  plant- 
ing that  gives  the  highest  yield  where  land  produces  more  than  50 
bushels  be  the  same  distance  that  gives  the  highest  yield  on  land 
producing  less  than  50  bushels. 

The  present  data  relating  to  this  part  of  the  question  are  ex- 
pressed numerically  in  Table  4 : 


366 


BULLETIN  No.  126. 


[July, 


TABLE  4. — AVERAGE  YIELDS  FROM  DISTANCE  PLOTS  IN  NORTHERN  ILLINOIS  ON 
LAND  PRODUCING  OVER  FIFTY  BUSHELS  PER  ACRE,  COMPARED  WITH  THOSE 
FROM  LAND  PRODUCING  LESS  THAN  FIFTY  BUSHELS 


Distance 
between  hills 
(inches). 

Number 
of  stalks 
per  acre. 

More  than 
50  bushels 
per  acre. 

L<ess  than 
50  bushels 
per  acre. 

Two  kernels  per  hill. 


44  x44 

6480 

52.8 

40.3 

44x39.6 

7200 

54.5 

41.7 

39.6  x  39.6 
36x44 

8000 

55.7 

41.5 

33x44 
36  x  39.6 

8800 

57.3 

41.7 

36  x36 
33  x  39.6 

9680 

60.8 

43.0 

33x36 

10560 

62.0 

41.7 

33  x  33 

11520 

62.3 

40.3 

Three  kernels  per  hill. 


44  x  44 

9720 

64.2 

39.9 

44  x  39.6 

10800 

69.4 

42.2 

39.6  x  39.6 
36  x  44 

12000 

69.4 

42.9 

33  x44 
36  x  39.6 

13200 

67.7 

439 

36x36 
33  x  39.6 

14520 

68.4 

42.2 

33x36 

15840 

70.1 

42.6 

33x33 

17280 

70.1 

43.3 

The  conclusions  to  be  drawn  from  Table  4  scarcely  need  em- 
phasizing. Both  columns  of  averages  given  are  alike  in  the  respect 
that  the  highest  yields  appear  to  have  been  taken  from  plots  where 
three  kernels  per  hill  were  planted,  and  also  in  the  respect  that  the 
greatest  yields  were  secured  from  checking  hills  practically  thirty- 
six  inches  apart.  Without  exception  then,  so  far  as  the  data  of  this 
bulletin  may  indicate,  the  highest  yields  of  corn  are  secured  in 
northern  Illinois  by  checking  hills  not  more  than  thirty-six  inches 
each  way  and  dropping  three  kernels  per  hill. 

The  relation  of  soil  fertility  to  the  most  desirable  distribution 
of  corn  hills  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Illinois  corn  belt;  is  sum- 
marized in  Table  5 : 


I9o8.} 


DISTANCE  BETWEEN  HILLS  FOR  CORN. 


367 


TABLE  5. — AVERAGE  YIELDS  FROM  DISTANCE  PLOTS  IN  CENTRAL  ILLINOIS  ON  LAND 
PRODUCING  OVER  FIFTY  BUSHELS  PER  ACRE,  COMPARED  WITH  THOSE  FROM 
LAND  PRODUCING  LESS  THAN  FIFTY  BUSHELS 


Distance 
between  hills 
(inches). 

Number 
of  stalks 
per  acre. 

Average  yield 
Urbana,  Sibley, 
Mattoon  fields. 

More  than  50  bu. 
per  acre. 

L/ess  than  50  bu 
per  acre. 

Two  kernels  per  hill. 


44  x  44 

6480 

56.7 

42.8 

44  x  39.6 

7200 

57.5 

43.4 

39.6  x  39.6 
36  x  44 

8000 

58.1 

43.5 

33  x  44 
36  x  39.6 

8800 

59.3 

44.3 

36  x  36 

33  x  39.6 

9680 

62.4 

44.2 

33  x  36 

10560 

64.8 

43.1 

33  x  33 

11520 

63.7 

41.2 

Three  kernels  per  hill. 


44  x  44 

9720 

61.7 

397 

44  x  39.6 

10800 

63.6 

41.5 

39.6  x  39.6 
36  x  44 

12000 

64.1 

42.2 

33  x  44 
36  x  39.6 

13200 

62.3 

41.0 

36  x  36 
33  x  39.6 

14520 

61.9 

41.6 

33  x  36 

15840 

62.0 

41  1 

33  x  33 

17280 

63.8 

39.0 

By  inspecting  Table  5,  it  becomes  evident  at  a  glance  that  the 
highest  yields  of  corn  in  the  area  represented  are  not  secured  by  the 
same  distribution  of  stalks  on  "rich"  land  as  on  "thin"  land. 

The  highest  average  yield  from  land  producing  over  fifty  bush- 
els was  secured  by  planting  two  kernels  per  hill  at  a  distance  of  33 
by  36  inches.  Almost  the  same  yield  was  secured  from  planting 
hills  39.6  inches  apart  each  way,  with  three  kernels  per  hill,  and 
the  latter  distribution  is  the  more  practical  one  for  cultivation.  On 
land  yielding  less  than  fifty  bushels  the  highest  average  yield  (save 
by  one-tenth  bushel)  was  secured  by  checking  two  kernels  per  hill 
at  distances  substantially  36  inches  by  36  inches  between  hills. 

To  repeat,  then,  the  general  conclusions  of  this  bulletin  by  way 
of  summarizing  them :  On  all  ordinary  corn  belt  land  of  the  north- 


368  BULLETIN  No.  126.  [July, 

ern  part  of  Illinois,  plant  corn  hills  not  more  than  36  inches  apart 
and  plant  at  least  three  kernels  per  hill.  Future  experiments  must 
determine  whether  a  larger  number  of  stalks  per  acre  would  in- 
crease the  yield  still  more. 

In  central  Illinois  on  the  common  broivn  silt  loam  prairie  land, 
of  a  productive  capacity  greater  than  fifty  bushels  per  acre,  plant 
corn. 39.6  inches  betzveen  hills  and  drop  three  kernels  per  hill.  (With 
39.6  inches  between  rows  there  are  exactly  5  rows  per  rod,  or  10 
rows  per  acre  on  a  square  4O-acre  field). 

In  central  Illinois  on  the  common  prairie  land,  of  lower  produc- 
tive capacity  than  fifty  bushels  per  acre,  as  for  instance  average  corn 
belt  land,  plant  the  hills  36  inches  apart  and  drop  £n  0  kernels  per 
hill. 

DISCUSSION  OF  RELATED  EXPERIMENTS 

As  has  been  suggested,  very  few  experiments  have  been  con- 
ducted by  Experiment  Stations  cf  this  country  which  bear  directly 
upon  the  present  problem.  Moreover  the  trials  showing  results  that 
throw  some  light  upon  the  question  have  frequently  been  of  such 
short  duration  that  the  results  could  not  be  considered  as  definite. 
Some  of  the  experiments  do  not  show  anything  decisive  because  the 
range  of  the  trials  did  not  take  in  the  extremes. 

Some  yields  were  secured  from  the  corn  breeding  work  of  this 
Experiment  Station  in  1907  that  contribute  incidentally  to  the  ques- 
tion whether  strong  land  may  not  produce  more  corn  by  being 
planted  with  three  kernels  per  hill  rather  than  two.  The  "ear-row" 
plots  (described  in  Illinois  Experiment  Station  Bulletin  100)  were 
planted  in  1907  on  Series  300,  North  University  Farm  (See  Bulle- 
tin 125),  in  rows  3  feet  apart  each  way.  The  yield  of  this  field  as  a 
whole  was  higher  than  90  bushels  per  acre,  so  it  was  evidently  from 
what  would  be  called  good  land,  of  considerably  more  than  50  bush- 
els per  acre  capacity.  Twenty-four  rows  on  the  west  side  of  Series 
300  were  planted  with  two  kernels  per  hill,  while  24  rows  on  the 
east  side,  covering  the  same  area,  were  planted  with  three  kernels 
per  hill.  That  part  planted  with  two  kernels  per  hill  yielded  at  the 
rate  of  91.2  bushels  per  acre  and  that  planted  with  three  kernels 
yielded  at  the  rate  of  102.7  bushels  per  acre.  This  difference  of 
11.5  bushels  per  acre  in  favor  of  planting  three  kernels  per  hill  is 
possibly  greater  than  the  average,  but  it  may  be  remembered  that 
much  of  Series  300  of  the  North  University  Farm  is  better  than 
average  land,  being  under  definite  systems  calculated  to  maintain 
permanently  the  fertility  of  the  soil. 


DISTANCE  BETWEEN  HILLS  FOR  CORN.  369 

Previous  experiments  conducted  at  the  Illinois  Experiment  Sta- 
tion to  test  the  effect  of  varying  the  thickness  of  planting  corn  have 
reported  upon  different  thicknesses  in  the  row,  but  at  a  constant 
distance  between  rows.  Illinois  Bulletin  31,  states,  "when  plant- 
ing in  checks  3  feet  8  inches  apart  the  largest  yield  of  grain  is 
from  four  kernels  in  a  hill."  In  Illinois  Bulletin  42,  also,  the  state- 
ment is  made,  "planting  3  feet  8  inches  each  way  provides  3240 
hills  per  acre.  This  shows  that  two  stalks  per  hill  each  bearing  a 
good  ear  are  capable  of  a  fair  yield  of  corn,  but  the  result  is  seldom 
attained ;  and  most  of  the  fair  yields  and  all  of  the  great  ones  are 
from  at  least  10,000  stalks  per  acre." 

The  experiments  of  this  bulletin  have  been  tried  with  the  hy- 
pothesis in  mind  that  so  far  as  practicable  each  hill  of  corn  should 
be  planted  in  the  middle  of  a  square.  Such  a  theory  is  supported  by 
Alabama  Bulletin  88.  At  the  Alabama  Station,  corn  was  planted  in 
rows^yarying  from  4  to  6  feet  apart  with  2  to  4  feet  between  plants. 
The  number  of  plants  per  acre  was  from  2178  to  4356.  "In  both 
seasons  the  yield  was  largest  when  the  constant  area  devoted  to  each 
plant  approached  a  perfect  square."  The  same  conclusion  is  ex- 
pressed in  Georgia  Bulletin  46. 

The  conclusions  of  this  bulletin  indicate  that  small  numbers  of 
stalks  per  hill,  planted  with  hills  closer  together,  yield  more  grain 
than  larger  numbers  of  stalks  planted  in  hills  further  apart  from 
each  other.  In  Ohio  Experiment  Station  Bulletin  78  it  is  stated 
that  with  rows  3.5  feet  apart,  one  grain  every  12  inches  and  2  grains 
every  24  inches  gave  larger  yields  than  planting  3  grains  every  36 
inches  or  4  grains  every  42  inches  or  48  inches.  Growing  one  grain 
every  18  inches  increased  the  percent  of  sound  corn  but  decreased 
the  yield. 

Other  publications  relating  to  the  distribution  of  corn  hills  and 
thickness  of  planting  corn  are  as  follows:  Kansas  Bulletin  45; 
Texas  Bulletin  49;  Maine  Station  Report,  1895;  Louisiana  Bulle- 
tin 17,  (second  series)  ;  Maryland  Bulletin  25;  Canada  Experiment 
Farms'  Report,  1900;  Indiana  Bulletin  55;  and  Missouri  Bulle- 
tin 32. 

APPENDIX. 

The  following  tables  give  in  detail  the  yields  of  corn  from  the 
distance  experiment  plots  at  the  several  Illinois  fields.  From  these 
detailed  yields  were  constructed  the  tables  of  averages  of  the  earlier 
part  of  this  bulletin,  upon  which  are  based  the  conclusions  given  on 
page  368. 


370 


BULLETIN  No.  126. 


[July, 


TABLE  6. — DISTANCE  EXPERIMENT  MYRTLE,  SYCAMORE  AND  DEKALB  FIELDS  ;  SUM- 
MARY OF  ALL  AVERAGE  YIELDS  ;    BUSHELS  PER  ACRE,  ACTUAL  YIELD 

Two  kernels  per  hill. 


Distance 

No. 

Myrtle  Field,  1904. 

between 
hills 

of 
stalks 

1904 
AT. 

(inches). 

per  acre. 

44x44- 

6480 

37.6 

39.2 

38.2 

47.2 

28.1 

40.8 

38.5 

44x39.6 

7200 

46.9    41.9 

44.0 

47  5 

39.0 

42.4 

43.6 

44x36 

7920 

49.5    39.0 

42.6 

54^8 

42.2 

39.1 

42.7 

51.6 

45.2 

39.6  x  39.6 

8000 

48.5;   38.6 

46.4 

51.1 

32.6 

44.3 

.... 

43.6 

44x33 

8640 

51.9 

41.7 

45.4 

S3  .'2 

38.0 

40.4 

43.5 

46.9 

45.1 

39.  6  x  36 

8800 

52.5 

44.3 

47.3 

60.5 

50.1 

35.4 

42.2 

63.6 

49.5 

39.6  x33 

9600 

52.2 

44.3 

45.4 

59.2 

48.2 

41.4 

43.9 

49.8 

48.1 

36  x  36 

9680 

47.4 

45.1 

43.5 

45.1 

46.6 

29.5 

36.6 

53.4 

43.4 

36x33 

10560 

56.9 

42.0 

43.8 

45.6 

47.5 

34.5 

42.7 

57.5 

46.3 

33x33 

11520 

58.2 

49.2 

43.0 

60.3 

47.1 

33.  Oj  45.0 

49.2 

48.1 

Three  kernels  per  hill. 


44  x  44 

9720 

45.7 

38.2 

40  3 

41  4 

44  x  39  6 

108CO 

48.8 

39.5 

41  7 

43.3 

44  x  36 

11880 

45.0 

41.7 

39  9 

48.7 

43  8 

39  6  x  39  6 

12000 

53.4 

42.0 

44  1 

46  5 

44  x  33 

12960 

46.7 

39.6 

49  3 

47.2 

45.7 

39  6  x  36 

13?00 

46  0 

42.0 

36  3 

52  9 

44  3 

39  6  x  33 

14400 

42.8 

42.9 

44.9 

50.1 

45  2 

36  x  36 

14520 

44.8 

30.0 

45.4 

48.5 

42  2 

36  x  33 

15840 

4=.6 

39.3 

43  9 

51  8 

45  2 

33  x  33 

17280 

41.7 

40.1 

49.8 

41.7 

43.3 

Two  kernels  per  hill. 


Distance 

No. 

between 
hills 

of 

stalks 

Sycamore  Field,  1905. 

1905 
Av. 

(inches) 

per  acre. 

44x44 

6480 

29.0 

31.6 

33.2 

36.3 

50.3 

46.6 

40.4 

29.0 

37.1 

44  x  39.6 

7200 

31.9 

36.0 

36.9 

37.1 

57.1 

50.8 

47.7 

41.0 

42.3 

44x36 

7920 

30.9 

34.0 

41.4 

43.8 

55.9 

44.7 

45.0 

42.9 

42.3 

39.6  x  39.6 

8000 

36.9 

35.8 

35.3 

40.5 

63.9 

51.4 

50.9 

51.4 

45.8 

44x33 

8640 

29.1 

26.2 

33.0 

41.0 

57.4 

48.3 

39.5 

39.2 

39.2 

39  6  x  36 

8800 

34.6 

38.5 

43.9 

46.0 

63.9 

53.8 

46.8 

49.4 

47.1 

39.6  x  33 

9600 

34.7 

28.3 

36.9 

40.2 

62.0 

52.4 

36.0 

47.6 

42.3 

36x36 

9680 

45.5 

45.5 

52.0 

49.9 

58.2 

57.1 

49.0 

57.1 

51.8 

36  x  33 

10560 

39.7 

32.3 

37.3 

50  3 

54.8 

58.7 

45.3 

47.9 

45.8 

33  x  33 

11520 

27.8 

26.2 

32.5 

39.3 

43.5 

41.4 

39.1 

47.7 

37.2 

Three  kernels  per  hill. 


A  A    Y  A.A. 

97^>n 

56  9 

36  3 

45.3 

33.4 

43.0 

lOQAH 

45  4 

35  8 

43.4 

40.6 

41.3 

A  A    Y    1& 

1  iftftn 

40  7 

40  6 

42.1 

41.1 

41  1 

1O   f*     Y     ^O   & 

ionnn 

41  1 

45  3 

46  9 

38  5 

43  0 

AA    Y    11 

I^QfiO 

40  3 

4^  5 

50.3 

43  3 

44.4 

^Q  fr   Y    1f\ 

i"V>oo 

40  6 

46  9 

48.0 

44  3 

45.0 

1Q  f*  x  11 

14.4AO 

39  o 

46  0 

52.8 

42  0 

45.0 

Ifr  \  If* 

14V>0 

43  9 

55  4 

36.6 

52  8 

47.2 

1ft   Y    11 

1  ^ft4-O 

39  5 

45  3 

41.7 

50  8 

44  3 

33  x33 

17280 

47.8 

55.9 

55.2 

38.9 

49.5 

1908.] 


DISTANCE  BETWEEN  HILLS  FOR  CORN. 
TABLE  6. — CONTINUED 


371 


Two  kernels  per  hill. 


Distance 
between 
hills 

Number 
of 
stalks 

DeKalb  Field,  1906. 

1906 
Av. 

DeKalb 
Field, 

19O7 

1907 
Av. 

General 
averagre 
all 
fields 

(inches). 

per  acre. 

*~s\ji  « 

all 
seasons. 

44  x  44 

6480 

55.4 

54.4 

49.6 

46.8 

51.6 

46.9 

51.0 

49.0 

44.1 

44  x  39.6 

7200 

59.5 

54.4 

43.2 

53.1 

52.6 

47.6 

52.0 

49.8 

47.1 

44  x  36 

7920 

61.9 

53.1 

45.3 

53.1 

53.4 

47.8 

51.1 

49.5 

47.6 

39.6  x  39.6 

8000 

68.8 

57.1 

40.0 

60.8 

56.7 

49.6 

55.5 

52.6 

49.7 

44x33 

8640 

60.6 

61.6 

48.5 

51.8 

55.6 

50.9 

48.7 

49.8 

47  A 

39.6  x  36 

8800 

69.3 

61.1 

68.3 

66.2 

55.3 

53.2 

54.3 

54.3 

39.6  x  33 

9600 

74.4 

70.1 

.   .   . 

73.1 

72.5 

52.1 

49.4 

50.8 

53.4 

36  x  36 

9680 

76.8 

62.9 

72.0 

70.6 

51.4 

55.4 

53.4 

54.8 

36x33 

10560 

78.1 

74.5 

42!7 

74.2 

67.4 

57.4 

57.6 

57.5 

54.3 

33x33 

11520 

71  4 

66.1 

59.8 

70  8 

67.0 

51.7 

59.8 

55.8!      52.0 

Three  kernels  per  hill. 


44  x44 

9720 

62.4 

61.3 

76.8 

57.6 

64.5 

66.4 

68.2 

67.3 

54.1 

44  x  39.6 

10800 

69.3 

63.2 

81.6 

66.9 

70.3 

69.3 

66.2 

67.8 

55.7 

44x36 

11880 

70.2 

57.3 

82.7 

69.9 

70.0 

70  2 

72.9 

71.6 

56.6 

39.6  x  39.6 

12000 

69.8 

45.3 

78.9 

60.3 

63.6 

72.3 

74  2 

73.3 

56.6 

44x33 

12960 

75.2 

60.8 

76.8 

62.1 

68.7 

71.6 

69.3 

70.5 

57.3 

39.6  x  36 

13200 

74.9 

60.7 

85.4 

64.0 

71.3 

70.4 

72.8 

71.6 

58.1 

39.6  x  33 

14400 

77.3 

71.4 

80.3 

70.7 

74.9 

71.5 

73.6 

72.6 

59.4 

36x36 

14520 

74.6 

64.0 

93.9 

67.7 

75  1 

62.7 

75.2 

69.0 

58.4 

36x33 

15840 

73.4 

70.7 

87.1 

85.4 

79.2 

67.5 

74.4 

71.0 

59.9 

33  x  33 

17280 

62  9 

81.1 

74.1 

76.3 

73.6 

80.0 

75.2 

77  6 

61.0 

TABLE  7. — DISTANCE  EXPERIMENT  URBANA  FIELD: 

BUSHELS  PER  ACRE. 


SUMMARY  OF  ALL  YIELDS. 


Two  kernels  per  hill. 


Dist'nce  be- 

No. of 

^  <  -i  1  1  •  • 

tween  hills 

staiKs 

1904. 

1905. 

1906. 

1907. 

Av. 

(inches)  . 

per 
acre. 

44x44 

6480 

39.2 

33.0 

36.2 

45.0 

60.1 

58.9 

68.1 

61.1 

50.2 

44x39.6 

7200 

34.4 

35.1 

43.1 

49.2 

55.1 

62.2 

66.0 

68.1 

51.7 

44x36 

7920 

35.6 

40.6 

43.9 

46.0 

56.4 

60.1 

70.2 

69.1 

52.7 

39.6x39.6 

8000 

35.9 

35.8 

47.1 

49.9 

68.5 

64.1 

73.1 

73.7 

56.0 

44x33 

8640 

41.1 

40.5 

43.8 

47.2 

61.4 

64.9 

70  3 

65.1 

54.3 

39.6x36 

8800 

41.5 

43.8 

42.9 

50.4 

56.0 

62.0 

72.9 

72.8 

55.3 

39.6x33 

9600 

43.4 

43.2 

47.6 

46.5 

67.9 

69.2 

72.9 

73.9 

58.1 

36x36 

9680 

45.0 

48.8 

47.4 

53.1 

72.9 

62.5 

73.2 

72.4 

59.4 

36x33 

10560 

45.9 

46.4 

46.3 

49.6 

66.3 

65.5 

73.7 

83.1 

59.6 

33x33 

11520 

52.5 

42.0 

43.0 

44.0 

60.1 

61.3 

72.5 

63.4 

54.9 

Three  kernels  per  hill. 


44x44             9720 

45.7 

41.8 

45.6 

56.4 

49.2 

58.2 

67.0 

69.0 

54.1 

44x39.6     I  10800 

48.7 

45.2 

44.7 

48.9 

49.2 

59.1 

68.8 

68.2 

54.1 

44x36           11880 

48.9 

45.9 

46.1 

50.4 

46.1 

50.7 

64.7 

71.2 

53.0 

39.6x39.6     |  12003 

50.0 

45.9 

46.4 

53.6 

39.5 

66.4 

69.0 

72.9 

55.5 

44x33         I  12960 

54.5 

46.1 

45.0 

42.8 

50.9 

51.7 

53.1 

60.4 

50.6 

39.6x36           13200 

50.1 

50.8 

47.0 

52.4 

43.0 

55.1 

62.1 

63.7 

53.0 

39.6x33           14400 

53.0 

51.0 

42.3 

48.5 

41.5 

49.5 

52.4 

62.8 

50.1 

36x36         j  14520 

50.7 

52.7 

42.6 

47.3 

31.4 

48.0 

45.5 

36x33           15840 

54.1 

51.3 

44.6 

43.4 

47.0 

48.6 

47.1 

62.4 

49.8 

33x33         j  17280 

55.4 

55.3 

44.1 

42.6 

43.3 

47.9 

42.4 

47.7 

47.3 

372 


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BULLETIN  No.  126. 


[July,  1908.] 


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